In a silicon solar cell minority charge carriers may recombine at defects, impurities, surface damage, etc. before reaching the contacts. Such recombination diminishes the current output of the solar cell, and hence its efficiency. To reduce the occurrence of recombinations at the rear surface of a solar cell, this surface may be passivated by providing it with a metal oxide passivation layer, e.g. an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer. Successful passivation results in an increased effective minority charge carrier lifetime (τeff).
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a method that enables the economical manufacture of solar cells having a high effective minority charge carrier lifetime (i.e. τeff≧500 μs).